Friday, October 11, 2013

Overhanging Nightmare First Ascent

September 23rd I went out near the Dam Wall in Prescott Arizona to finish a project I started last April. Local guidebook author and first ascentionist Kevin Keith and I had found a line that we attempted ground up but never had the chance to go back to due to weather conditions.

The route follows a slab for 15 feet to a large 6 foot roof, going directly over the roof you slap an arete and cross into an overhanging hand/finger crack. Follow this crack up past slopers to a wide crack, over this and up slabs to the top. The first and only day I got on it until this past september I learned how to bolt and drill Anchors from Kevin which was a great learning experience to have.

Overhanging Nightmare can be seen here in the center.

The first go on it, I fell at the second crux. After rapping back down to try it ground up again, I knew I was just blocking myself mentally. I wanted this climb and I knew the moves, I simply just had to breathe and execute. The thing thats always in the back of my mind on this route is that if you fall on the latter moves of the second crux going for the wide crack theres a potential that you will smack into the roof. Last April I fell somewhere in this area, as I fell I tilted my head back looking directly up into the sky, this ended up saving my life as it allowed me enough room for my head to clear the roof. If I had been looking straight ahead I would have smashed eye level with the lip of the roof. This automatically made Kevin and I put a PG-13 rating on the route.

As I tied back in, I took three deep breathes. I could feel the fire ignite inside of me, I was going to give my all; my motivation level was at its highest. I run the slab out to below the roof and place a cam. I grab the slopers on the lip of the roof, throw a heel up and slap for the arete sticking it with the strength of many lives. I pull up and cross over into the crack and establish my self. Place my final pieces for the run out and charge it. Consciously breathing and moving through the cruxes. I jam my hand into the wide crack, aware of the fall consequence but not fearing it; I place the final cam and get myself over the bulge to the slab. I had just sent the First Ascent of Overhanging Nightmare 5.10d PG-13, on my birthday.